What can I really say to this, other than: if necessity is the mother of invention, poverty is her sick and twisted evil half-sister.
BEIJING (AFP) – Used condoms are being recycled into hair bands in southern China, threatening to spread sexually-transmittable diseases they were originally meant to prevent, state media reported Tuesday.
In the latest example of potentially harmful Chinese-made products, rubber hair bands have been found in local markets and beauty salons in Dongguan and Guangzhou cities in southern Guangdong province, China Daily newspaper said.”These cheap and colourful rubber bands and hair ties sell well … threatening the health of local people,” it said.
Despite being recycled, the hair bands could still contain bacteria and viruses, it said.
“People could be infected with AIDS, (genital) warts or other diseases if they hold the rubber bands or strings in their mouths while waving their hair into plaits or buns,” the paper quoted a local dermatologist who gave only his surname, Dong, as saying.
A bag of ten of the recycled bands sells for just 25 fen (three cents), much cheaper than others on the market, accounting for their popularity, the paper said.
A government official was quoted as saying recycling condoms was illegal.
China’s manufacturing industry has been repeatedly tarnished this year by a string of scandals involving shoddy or dangerous goods made for both domestic and foreign markets.
In response, it launched a public relations blitz this summer aimed at playing up efforts to strengthen monitoring systems.
That’s just freakin’ weird. I guess there’s some consolation in the fact that people are using condoms. Safety first.
Could be wallet first… kid #2 can be costly.
This is the second articles I’ve read about this, but I’m still left with one question. Where the hell are they getting that many used condoms to manufacture hair bands? Are the people the go through people’s garbage sorting those out for the hair band makers? Seems likely that this is more of an isolated incident than a large scale recycling operation.
Asked the wife about this and she said it’s old news… came a few years back – and get this – she’s actually bought one of these condom scrunchies. haha.
Apparently now the quality scare is in the form of fake rice noodles made of plastic… fun.
yah, I’m with Shaun on this one… is there a used condom recycling bin somewhere? Or does someone pick through the trash looking for, uh, previously loved contraceptives?
Take a trip to the local landfill, it’s easy to see where they come from. There’s an army of peasants picking through the trash looking for anything of value. And apparently when they don’t find something, they make it…
Disgusting… but, off-topic here, that dermatologist, ~Dong~, was right not to give his name… the HIV virus would be long dead before such a recycled condom would make it from the trashcan to someone’s hair…
I think there are few better places in the world to find mis-information about HIV than China. That said, there are some pretty serious health risks regarding using used condoms (I mean, if they’re recycling condoms, not a big chance that they have a state-of-the-art sterilization facility, right?). HIV or no… don’t stick used condoms in your mouth… it’s just icky!
Ok, I’m assuming that the condoms would have to be melted down or “smooshed up” (yes, that’s the technical term) somehow to recycle them into a new product… and I’m also assuming that any std virus wouldn’t survive that process?
When I heard this I was absolutely disgusted, but to be honest it kinda rings like an urban myth- I have no doubt that it could be done, but I doubt that it would be dangerous. Disgusting? Absolutely.
Nope, it’s straight out condoms. These are the little hair elastics to tie hair back. My wife just explained to me how she checks to make sure it’s actually a rubber band and not a rubber when she buys them.
As for the urban mythedness of it – according to my wife, she’s bought them before by accident.
I stand corrected! So how DO you check to make sure it’s not actually a condom? Please tell me it doesn’t involve any of the five senses other than sight and perhaps touch……..
I meant to say before that your first line of this post is really great: poverty is the sick and twisted evil half-sister or necessity… beautiful!
I am wondering why they’d interview a dermatologist about STDs being transmitted via hair bands made from used condoms.
Oh come on, people! Green! Recycle! Doesn’t this make sense? Al Gore would be proud! j/k
Hey! It is amusing to hear such bad news! Ethiopia is becoming one of China’s garbage. They are started to send extremely low quality products to Ethiopia. They are selling their waste products indirectly with low prize. We realy do not want to see these recylced condom products here in Ethiopia. If we see, we ———. Please come to Ethics!